Roz Ka Khana

An easy yet healthy (as always) entry from Anusuya’s kitchen. She insisted that I not call it a Maharashtrian Dal as she isn’t really sure if this is authentic Maharashtrian, but given that it tastes better than the the dals I’ve tried and the fact that it required “Goda Masala”, a must spice ingredient in authentic Maharashtrian cuisine – these were reasons enough for me to give it the original name. I’m adding the quotes just for her sanity:). This is an easy recipe as it calls for red gram dal and Rotel..once again, a creative twist to an otherwise common dish, true to Anusuya’s kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)

4 cups water

1 can Rotel (mild or medium)

1/2 tsp Goda Masala (this was a generous contribution from Anusuya’s kitchen)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2-3 green chilies (optional)

1 small red onion

Curry leaves – a few

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Boil the red lentils in about 3 cups water in a saucepan, till the lentils are cooked.

2. Add a can of Rotel.

3. In a small frying pan, add a tsp of oil. When the oil gets hot, add finely chopped onion, the cumin powder, coriander powder, goda masala, curry leaves. Fry till the onions get transparent. You may also add chopped green chilies for extra spice.

We had it for lunch with some hot quinoa and aloo methi (potato with fenugreek leaves). Finger-licking good!

The last few weeks have been crazy..a rollercoaster of emotions, ups and downs..(mostly up thankfully!) amidst quite a bit of travelling. Girish and I have been cooking a lot, trying to take our mind off things. Weirdly enough, cooking has been our way to unwind. Many recipes have been tried, some a success, some not worthy to write anything about, but I have, as usual, a stash of recipes, and tons of pictures waiting to be posted. I suppose I’m not a fan of just starting off every post with “ingredients”. There’s almost always a story to every recipe or some other thought that makes this a journal. But the downside..I need to get used to rambling on my laptop as I experiment, and in doing so, be more frequent in posting.

So after over a month’s lapse , I wanted to share this Vegetarian Times recipe from last month’s issue. Asparagus is not a regular vegetable you’d find in my refrigerator, but the magazine did a great job of highlighting its benefits, and of course, our local farmer’s market did the needful in offering a discount of $1/bunch a couple of weeks ago. Perfect timing, I thought, as I put it in my shopping basket, only to forget about it for the next couple of days.  I’d like to know if this happens to everyone, but I often find myself going into a health food store with my head exploding with lunch box recipe ideas, health snacks to stash in my office drawer and the greenest of vegetables to experiment with. The minute I pay for my re-usable grocery bag brimming of healthful bounties, my short term (more like long term!)memory loss sets in. It’s often days and maybe weeks before I discover the rotten likes of romaine, green leaf, or even the fungal culture of what once used to be asparagus in my crisper.

Well, this time I was determined not to let that happen. It was weeks before I tried this asparagus soup recipe but I was “smart” enough to freeze the asparagus stems this time. I decided to try the soup and the Roasted Red Pepper Spread Sandiwch for lunch over the recent long weekend. Notice that I refrained from calling this “Fresh” Asparagus Soup unlike the title in the original source:)

Ingredients (serves 6) : 

• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 lb. fresh asparagus (36 to 40 medium-size spears), tips reserved, stalks cut into 1/2-inch pieces, divided
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk or heavy cream
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add broth, asparagus stalks, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat , cover pan, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until asparagus is tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook asparagus tips in salted water microwave for 1 minute. (The original recipe called for boiling but I think you get the same results in the microwave) Drain and rinse in cold water.

4. Blend the ingredients in the saucepan – asparagus, thyme, broth etc. in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pan, and stir in milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with asparagus tips.

Verdict: Could have done with a little more lemon zest. The soup is quite bland, so the lemon gives it just the right amount of tang. Will definitely make it again!

This one is a toughie to translate into plain English. Once again, an authentic Tamil dish, Kuzhambu, which means a kind of stew or soup, and Vatral which refers to sun-dried vegetables, is a comfort food in my home.

But before I write about this recipe, let me back up. I almost forgot , but today marks the 1 year anniversary of Roz ka Khana! I am actually a little embarrassed to say that I almost forgot that it was our birthday. I mean, yes it was February last when I penned the Paruppu Rasam recipe, but I had to go back into the archives to look up the actual date. And maybe I am a little overwhelmed too thanks to my dear friends and readers who reminded me to go look up that date! Sheela, thank you for being such a sweetie and shaking me out of my doldrums with your cheery note.  Thanks for being such an ardent follower among everything else.

And I should also thank Anu of AnEmily’s Vegan Adventures for requesting this recipe. Anu, this was the perfect recipe for RKK’s one year anniversary. I don’t think I’m really a Tamil purist when it comes to recipes, but Tomato Paruppu Rasam (lentil and tomato soup) and Vatral Kuzhambu are the staple, comfort foods in my home, so what better way to pay my tribute to RKK than to post another favorite comfort food? While the Rasam is my staple recipe, this one is Girish’s. As I wrote earlier in the 2 month anniversary of this blog with Girish’s Curry leaves Soup (Karuvepillai Kuzhambu) recipe , he is the inspiration behind this blog. So here’s to Girish again for your love and support, and to all of you family and friends who have been contributing and following this food chatter so far….thank you.

Vatral Kuzhambu recipe (Tamarind Soup)

This is also called Pulusu in Andhra/Telugu lingo. As I mentioned in the Curry Leaves soup recipe, this tastes best in a kachitti or a stone vessel, especially when it’s a day old. If you don’t have this vessel, it can also be made in a regular pot or pan, but make sure to save some for the next day so it has had all the time to let the flavors of the sesame oil, the fenugreek and the vegetables sink in. Also, this recipe is not really true to its name as we did not add the sun-dried vegetables or vatral. The sun-dried vegetables are available as is in Indian stores. We did not add it here since the onions have such a strong flavor that you can make this soup without the vatral. The real reason also was that we didn’t have enough vatral handy:). You can also call this recipe Vengaya Vatral Kuzhambu (Tamarind Soup with baby Onions)

Ingredients:

(I don’t have too many pictures to post for this one. I inadvertently erased some of the colorful ingredient pictures that I took  as I was transferring the pictures to my computer. As soon as I’m done poring through the 2500 photos on my hard drive in a desperate attempt to find them, I will try to update this post with better pictures.)

A large lemon sized ball of tamarind (enough to make about 2 cups of tamarind juice)

1/2 cup pink baby onions or shallots

2 tbsp fenugreek seeds

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp vatral kuzhambu podi (I get this from India, but you can also use Sambar powder that is available in Indian grocery stores – MTR Madras Sambar powder). Alternatively you can find the recipe here.

2 sprigs of curry leaves

6-7 green chilies (the Thai variety)

a pinch asafetida ( we use a brand called SSP that we have only found in India but you can use any brand. SSP is in the granule form instead of powder and we use about 3-4 granules for a good strong aroma )

1. Heat the sesame oil in the kachitti or the stone vessel.

2. When it starts to smoke a little, add the fenugreek seeds, lower the flame and let the seeds get dark brown and oil starts to smoke again.

3. Add the asafetida. Add the kozhambu powder (podi).

4. Add the shallots, curry leaves, green chilies and the sun-dried vegetables (vatral) if available here. Fry till medium brown.

5. Add the tamarind juice and salt.

6. Let the mixture boil on a low flame for 10-15 minutes until the soup starts to thicken a little. You can also add a small amount (half a tsp)of jaggery (crystallized brown sugar) here for an added taste. If the soup is too watery, you can add a little rice flour and water made into a paste to thicken it. But if you let it boil enough, you may not need this step at all.

7. Serve with hot white or brown rice and ghee (clarified butter) with a side of paruppu (boiled and mashed lentils).

I do realize I haven’t populated the comfort food section in a while. Well, I haven’t blogged in a while , if you could call 12 days ” a while” that is. I suppose it is a long time, for something that warrants “everyday” cooking.

We had our 9 year old nephew visit from India, and while that meant two boisterous boys (including mine),  running around the house, it also meant having to come up with some creative ways to feed them both and fuel all that energy. As with most kids, vegetables were challenging, and I was looking for ways to dot the daily menu with some, while sneaking some in other dishes.

Anusuya’s kitchen had the perfect answer, as always. It’s quite obvious from her previous recipes, that she somehow has that perfect balance between scrumptious and healthy. Whole wheat, low fat, low oil are some key words in her kitchen. Of course, there are always “treats” in store, with her desserts and other signature dishes, and I will try to share them all, as and when she chooses to share them with me.

Here’s a sweet corn soup recipe that’s a favorite of her family, and this is what I “tried” on the kids one evening. May sound cliched, but as with all her recipes so far, it was a hit! The kids downed the corn soup with french bread and actually asked for more. What more could I ask for?

Ingredients:

1 pack frozen corn or 3-4 fresh corn, kernels removed and steamed

2 Jalapenos (I retained the seeds, but if you like it less spicy, de-seed them)

1/2 Vidalia onion (chopped into chunks)

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1. Take a heavy bottomed saucepan and melt the butter and oil.

2. When the oil is hot, add the onions along with the jalapenos. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the corn kernels. You may want to reserve a few kernels for later to add some chunky texture to the soup, but that’s optional.

4. Add 2 cups of water to this mixture and let it boil. Remove from the stove and cool.

5. Now take the mixture in a blender and puree it to a paste like consistency.

6. Take the puree in another heavy vessel or a dutch oven. Add the reserved corn, milk, soy sauce and salt to taste. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

7. Serve hot, garnished with scallion leaves (I was out of the leaves, as you can tell from the picture), and with a side of toasted french bread. I added some garlic butter on the bread as well. Or you could just use store bought garlic bread. Enjoy!

It’s true that people who have a taste for good food are also great cooks themselves. Or is it vice versa?  If you think I’m trying to toot my own horn.. well..maybe I am in a subtle kind of way;). I like to think that it’s all in the family, so I may be guilty of bragging a bit here.

It’s my husband I’m talking about, who is a big foodie himself. He’s a road warrior so one may think that all the travelling would have killed his taste buds, but I think it’s only helped grow his taste for all things food. He tends to have this sense for “sniffing” down the best eateries wherever he travels. Though I have to add that he is a little partial to Indian food, so a lot of his travel favorites tend to be Indian eateries. He has quite a database of favorites, which gives me an idea to to start a section on this blog of his restaurant reviews , to aid travellers looking for great eats. Coming soon..

Well, the good news is that Girish doesn’t just have a taste for good food, he is a great cook too…(notice the too there…didn’t I say I was bragging just a little bit)! All kidding aside, he has excelled at making some choice dishes which I will try to share here. Of course, that would mean he would need to cook more often so I think these mentions are a great incentive that will mutually benefit us.

I do have to add on a more serious note that he is the true inspiration behind this food journal. His drive and enthusiasm has been the force in getting this site up and running and to get me to do something I enjoy. Girish, this one is for all your love and support! Couldn’t have been better timing to include one of your entries in this blog. Roz ka Khana turned 2 months this week. Small achievement I know compared to some biggies out there, but thank you for coming along this far.

Here’s Girish’s recipe for Karuvepilai Kuzhambu, a Kuzhambu (soup or stew) variety that is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu. I have seen various versions of this recipe online, but here’s Girish’s original recipe that I think is the best;)

I do have to add a comment on the vessel that he used to make this dish. A kachitti as it is called in Tamil is a stone vessel, and is popular in Tamil Nadu to make all kozhambus. Like the eeyya chombu or the amalgamated metal vessel used for making rasam in my previous post, cooking kozhambu in a kachitti adds to the taste. It’s also said that a day old kuzhambu in the kachitti tastes even better. Let’s just say we’ve been there, done that and coudn’t agree more!

Ingredients:

15-20 curry leaves

20-30 Peppercorns

3 tsp jeera

Asafoetida (a pinch)

3 tsp sesame oil (Til Oil)

Tamarind pulp (Lemon size tamarind soaked in water and made into a pulp)

Salt to taste

Jaggery – a small piece

1. Take the curry leaves, jeera, peppercorns and some of the tamarind pulp and grind to a smooth paste.

2. Add some water to the remaining tamarind pulp (about 1- 1 1/2 cup water to 1 cup of tamarind pulp). The result should be a soup like consistency, not too watery, not too thick.

3. Take a heavy bottomed vessel or kachitti if you own one. Add the sesame oil to it and heat it on a low flame. After the oil gets hot, add the asafoetida first. Wait till it starts to smoke a little (make sure it doesn’t burn just enough to get an aroma), then add the jeera or cumin seeds.

4. After about 2 minutes, add the tamarind water, then add the jeera-peppercorn paste. Add salt to taste. Turn the flame to low and cook for about 10 minutes. The mixture will start to boil and thicken a little.

5. Add the piece of jaggery and boil for another 5 minutes. The kuzhambu should now resemble a thickened soup.

Enjoy with hot white rice and some dry vegetable and vadam(vadiyalu/ or chips.